Childhood Memories
by Fantacy
Summary: A snow storm has attacked New York and the turtles are bored. Therefore they turn to their friends April and Casey to invite them to a movie night. Something unexpected happens and the turtles and Master Splinter begins to tell some stories
1. An evening in the dark

A/N: Hey guys. I don't own the TMNT characters but I'm a big fan of them nonetheless. Since I come for Denmark, I do my best to translate it to English :)

I like to think I know Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo's characters pretty well. Furthermore, my story is not a part of my turtle saga, which I am writing at the moment, but the story takes place almost after the ending of second season of the new cartoon, as we hadn't got any further with the new cartoons in Denmark. Enjoy!

The pale moon was shining above the grey clouds. Whenever the moon broke free from its' dark prison, it revealed the cold snow lying in the streets of New York City. Casey turned his blue eyes towards his apartment window as he gazed at the sad view. The sight made him feel a bit depressive and he signed deeply in despair. God, how he hated the winter sometimes. It was the time of the year where it was nearly impossible for him to ride his motorcycle.

The roads were getting slippery with the snowy road turning into icy surfaces and the constant snow prevented him from walking outside. At this point, it had finally slowed down with the snow but he knew that it was only a matter of time before it started again. The news had predicted a snow storm that would last a least a couple of days, and Casey wasn't looking forward to stay inside. He felt like a prisoner in his own home.

It was late January, so there wasn't going to be any change for a long time and yet despite living in the slums, Casey had to admit to himself that the snow really did make everything quite beautiful, even here. He turned his gaze down at the alley below. This was his home, and disgusting alley filled with garbage round in the corners. Now even the garbage was covered with snow, hiding the ugliness from the people who were living here. Normally it didn't bothered Casey to live in a slum – it wasn't like he spend much time at home anyway, but the bad weather forced him to stay in his small apartment.

Casey move his eyes from the window, it wasn't in his power to change the weather, so there wasn't any reason to get more upset about it than he already was. He turned his attention to the TV and a little smile flickered across his face. Luckily the programs were still working, which made it possible for him to see a various kind of sport channels. At this point, he turned on the TV remote to watch one of his favorite sports: Ice hockey. The game was already on.

"What the hell am I doing?" Casey asked himself with a little laughter and gave a slight shook of his head. "What is sport without popcorn?"

In the moment he finished his sentence, something terrible happened. Before his eyes, Casey was witness to watch the TV screen turning black. With his mouth wide open, Casey couldn't believe what was happening right in front of him.

"NO!" Casey exclaimed wildly with the anger flaring in his eyes. "No, how is it possible?"

The black TV screen didn't give him any answer and somehow it irritated Casey even more. He rose irritated from his chair and clenched his fists tightly as he moved toward the TV.

"You got to be kidding me," Casey snarled as he raised his arm to hit hard on the top of the TV. "I wanted to watch that game!"

"If you ask me, blame the weather and not the TV," a hoarse voice remarked.

Casey stopped his movement in the air, nearly a few inches from hitting his beloved TV when he recognized the voice as a good friend of his. A cold wind surrounded the young man and told him that one of his windows were open. Yet, he couldn't say that he was surprised. It wasn't exactly common for his friend to use the front door. Casey turned short to look at the shadowed figure in the window. Casey smiled wryly as it was typically for his friend to hide in the dark. His friend had to be careful, as it was too dangerous for him to walk in the bright daylight. Casey crossed his arms and pointed at this friend.

"It is the most easily thing to blame the weather Raph," Casey told him and shook his head. "Not that I don't hate it also hehe."

"I thought so," Raphael said and took a step into the light. "But I was actually telling the truth Case. Your whole block has lost the signal. You're not the only one."

Casey believed him. Raphael had probably studied most of the window before he had made his way through to Casey's apartment. Even though Raphael hated that he had to hide himself from others, he knew that it was necessary. He wasn't exactly a human. On the contrary, he was a mutant, a giant turtle with ninja abilities. Raphael's skin had a deep dark green colour and his red bandana, which was hiding his eyes, suited him well for his dark humour and temper. His favorite weapons were a pair of flashing sais, which he had decorated with red ribbons to match the bandana. Casey had known Raphael for almost a year now and since their first meeting, they had been best friends. Casey and the sixteen-year old turtle understood each other as they shared the same humour and the same anger and frustration inside.

"Damn," Casey cursed and shrugged his shoulders in despair as he turned to look at the black screen. "What the hell am I going to do? Die of boredom?"

"I doubt it," Raphael remarked dryly. "This was actually the reason why I came to see you Case."

"To see my die of boredom?" Casey asked with a wry smile.

"I thought that you might need a little rescue," Raphael said and laughed. "I know that you can't stand doing nothing at all."

"You got a point there," Casey nodded but turned his head toward the window, where the snow had arrived again. "But I can't see what we could do. This weather is ruining everything and I can't believe that even you are crazy enough to be outside."  
"How do you think I got here in the first place?" Raphael asked and gave a little shook of his head. "Bonehead."

"Hey," Casey exclaimed insulted and was about to make a remark, when the red-masked turtle cut him off.

"Case, I was coming to ask you if you would be interested in a movie-night with my family?" Raphael asked and smiled. "You know with the whole gang? Master Splinter has forbidden us to go out, but he made an exception when Michelangelo got the idea to watch some of our favorite movies while it is snowing outside."

"Sure," Casey replied gladly as he loved to spend time with his friends. He wished sometimes that he could be in their home more often than he was.

Raphael noticed the thrilled expression in his friend's face and couldn't help smiling. Yes, Casey was a part of the family and this was the reason why his father had given Raphael permission to pay Casey a visit. Even though Raphael had realized that his family wasn't so fond of Casey being with them in the lair too much, he knew that they liked him and his support. If they ever needed someone to help them, Casey would be there. His loyalty to his friends was almost as big as the goodness in his heart.

"What about April?" Casey asked curious and cleared his throat. "Is she coming to movie night too?"

Raphael's mind went to a picture of the young red-haired woman, who had been their first human friend. She had courage inside her heart that Raphael admired. She had been there for them, even when they had to hide from Shredder. She was kind, helpful and smart. When she and his brother Donatello began to talk with each other, it was a conversation that the rest of the family was unable to follow. Yeah, April was an incredible woman.

"Of course, she is coming. Michelangelo is getting her at this minute," Raphael answered and waved at Casey to make him follow. "Come on, or the others will start without us."

"Well, we wouldn't like that," Casey said and smiled brightly as he followed his friend through the window.

April was tired after a long day. She had closed the shop a few hours ago, but it didn't mean that she had gotten time to relax yet. April gazed at the groceries in her arms and sighed resignedly as she recalled the event of the last hour.

_She was thrilled when she had closed the "2'time Around". With the bad weather outside, it was almost impossible to get customers. Therefore, she had been happy when she came up to her apartment, surely in her mind that she would soon get some time to relax. April smiled with irony as she placed the two bags on her counter. When she walked into the kitchen, her happy smile quickly faded away as she discovered the emptiness of her refrigerator. _

"_Damn," she mumbled irritated and closed the door. "I have to get some food."_

_Though she hadn't looked forward to it, April knew that it was necessary for her to get to the store. Now, resigned to her task, April left the kitchen to get her long light purple coat and shoes. _

"I hate this weather," April shook her head, as she began to place the milk in the right place. That was a whole hour ago.

_April used the stairs down the apartment building, and as she opened the front door, the freezing air hit her face and her cheeks were quickly cold as ice. With a determent look in her eyes, she gazed both ways before she stepped out on the street. There seemed to her to be fewer people outside than normal, but she wasn't surprised. When it snowed as much as it did this afternoon, then people preferred to be inside in their nice little home. The same thought about being home hit April like a storm. She didn't wanted to be outside either, but she had too. She knew that there was a little time left to get to the store before it closed. _

_When she thought about it, if she was fast enough, then she could be home within 30 minutes. Encouraged by the very thought, she looked to her left to take a view of the path to the store. From her starting point there was rather long way to the next street, considering that it was impossible to see anything but the snow and the way was merely broken up by the alleyway that ran alongside her apartment._

_She just had to hurry. April took a deep breath as she began her walk toward the store. After reaching the end of her street, she would then make a right turn. She closed her light purple coat even closer around her neck as she past several other apartments, a couple of businesses, and one warehouse before reaching the grocery. The grocery was a little corner store and the closest one to where she lived. April bought most of her groceries in there. _

_April was pleased as she noticed that it hadn't closed yet and she walked inside with fast steps. She wasn't surprise to see the store almost empty. Most people would think it insane to walk out in the snow. April made her way through the store as she quickly chose what to get for dinner and breakfast for the next day. When she was finished and had left the store, she noticed that the streetlamps were automatically lighting up, one by one. With a determent smile on her face, April began her journey home._

April was certain in her mind as she made her way to the bathroom. She needed to feel some hot water on her body after being outside in the freezing weather. She closed the door behind her and went straight to the tub. She turned the knobs on the faucet controlling hot and cold, putting a hand under the running water to test it. She adjusted the knobs accordingly until he was satisfied with the temperature, and twisted the control to the shower. There was a slight rattle in the pipes as the water was rerouted, and after a moment, came down in a steady spray.

She then stepped into the tub, and drew close the shower curtain. She stood directly under the steady spray, the warm water cascading over her tired body. April titled her head back slightly as she enjoyed to feel the warm water on her skin. She let the water caress her face, neck, and chest. She remained like that for a good ten minutes, actually feeling calm and relaxed. Finally, April opened her eyes, and reached for the bath sponge and bar of soap sitting on a corner of the tub.

She cleaned herself thoroughly, gently scrubbing her skin. When she finished, she removed the soap off her body. April shut the shower off first, rotating the knob to its original position. The water flowed from the faucet once more. She repeated the process with the hot and cold controls, ceasing it completely. She then pulled back the shower curtain, and exited the tub. She grabbed a towel from a stack folded on top of a shelf positioned between the tub and the sink, and dried off. When she was finished, she seized her pink woollen bathrobe, which hung on a rack under the shelf. A moment later, April opened the bathroom door.

"Hey Dudette," a voice greeted, as she came out.

"Mikey?" April asked in wonder and gazed at her friend, who was standing right in front her.

A giant mutant turtle was standing in her living room, but April was merely showing a little wry smile, as she raised her eyes in wonder. Why had Michelangelo come here without his brothers? Mostly when April got a visit from her mutant friend, it would Michelangelo together with his three older brothers. Michelangelo had a dark blue green colour and he was the funniest turtle of the four. He was a turtle, who loved to play and have a good time. This was also the reason, why he had a huge amount of knowledge about movies and comics. Unfortunately, Michelangelo sometimes didn't think so much, but he was kind and friendly with all goodness in his heart. As his brothers were ninjas, so was Michelangelo. And he was surely proud of it. He had decorated his nunchakus with orange ribbons. One time Michelangelo's father and teacher Master Splinter had confided to her that these weapons had been chosen because of Michelangelo's personality. He was a kind of a braggart, cheerful and he loved to tell jokes all the time.

"What are you doing here?" April raised her eyebrows questioning.

"Waiting for you to get out of shower," Michelangelo replied honestly and smiled a little. "Don't understand why you used so much time in there though. It seemed like you just had trained with Leonardo or Master Splinter."

Leonardo was the eldest of the four turtles, and he was the leader of the small group. Taken the responsibility of the safety of his family, Leonardo could sometimes be too seriously. April could understand why Leonardo had become the leader. He had a sharp brain and determent. As a child, Leonardo had chosen the blue bandana around his head and the blue ribbons on his katanas. He was unselfish and would do anything in the world to protect his family. April admired Leonardo's discipline, but she didn't understand him much. Most things about Leonardo were his fondness of ninja training lessons with his Sensei and his brothers.

"Nah, I just needed a bath after this terrible weather," April said and crossed her arms. "This reminds me… Why aren't you at home?"

"I missed you dudette," Michelangelo grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "And my brothers were thinking of having a movie night. Want to join us? It will be fun."

"I don't know Mike," April said with doubt in her voice as she turned her eyes to her window which was filled with snow. "I could get trouble getting back home."

"Why don't you sleep at our house then? Come on April, it is going to be fun. We have homemade pizza and popcorn."

"That sounds tempting," April had to admit and smiled at little.

"Of course. I have made the food my self," Michelangelo laughed and shined like a star. "I'm the best cook turtle ever."

"That is because you're the only one," April teased him and pointed at the sofa. "But just sit down and watch some TV while I get dressed. I don't know how well it works though."

"I'll be fine. Do you have some food in the fridge? I'm hungry."

"No surprise," April mumbled and a little smile flickered across her face as she walked into her bedroom to change her clothes.

"Bad weather," Master Splinter mumbled at the depressing sight. Then he turned his head towards his son. "Donatello, something is wrong with the TV."

Donatello turned to his father, looking in his direction at the black TV. Donatello was the brilliant inventor in the small family and peaceable by nature. On his shell, Donatello carried a long bo staff, which Splinter had carefully chosen for the genius turtle, since it was an inspiring and solid weapon. Donatello had decorated himself with a purple bandana around his eyes and the purple ribbon in the middle of his staff. Donatello was very intelligent. He was brave but he would rather avoid a fight if it were possible. Most of his time was spent in his workshop and laboratory, which were his most cherished possessions.

"I don't think that I can do much about it, Sensei. The channel has problems with their satellite signals when we have a snow storm," Donatello replied honestly.

"And my favorite show was about to begin," Master Splinter sighed heavily.

"Don't worry Master. Raphael and Michelangelo should be here soon with April and Casey. Then we can begin our movie night," Donatello said and walked into the living room. "I just have to make a few changes to the DVD machine. Michelangelo has begged me to look at it. He says that it stops the movie sometimes. He told me that it would kill him if it keeps doing it."

"Well, your brother has an ability to take some things closer to his heart than we do," his father replied with a soft smile.

"Yes, just take all his comic books and burn them," Donatello giggled at his imagination pictured his younger brother in total despair. "That could be fun."

Leonardo, who was reading a book about feudal Japan, couldn't help but smiling at his brother's comment. Master Splinter rose from the sofa to make some tea, while his son was working on the DVD machine. The old rat didn't have much knowledge about the technically things, therefore he was glad that Donatello was able to take care of it.

"Good evening Master Splinter. How are you?" April's voice sounded as the door opened.

The old rat looked with joy at his two sons and their friends. Master Splinter had always been worried about human relations as he knew that the surface above would see him and his family as freaks, but April and Casey were two special people even though they were very different in their kind of personality, April mostly reminded him of his son Donatello, while Casey was while as Raphael.

"Good evening Miss O'Neil and Mr. Jones," Master Splinter greeted. "I was looking forward to see you both again."

"Hey Master Splinter. Do you know what movie we're going to watch?" Casey asked curiously. "Raphael hadn't said a word about it all night."

"That is because it is a secret," Raphael exclaimed and shook his head. "Bonehead."

"You told me, but I could still ask," Casey said and looked questioning at the old rat.

"I'm afraid that I'm going to disappoint you Mr. Jones," Master Splinter said and smiled a little. "I don't know either what we are going to see. It is my sons' choice and they haven't said a word to me."

"A shame," Casey shrugged his shoulders and sat with comfort on the sofa with his legs on the sofa table.

"Would you have told him, if you knew?" April asked the wise rat with an ironic smile.

"No," Splinter answered and returned her smile.

They were all looking forward to see the movie, which the turtles had chosen for the night. It was an action movie. They had revealed that much, but still it was a mystery, which movie it was. Master Splinter, Raphael, April and Casey were all in the living room, sitting in front of the big TV-screens, while Donatello laid his final touch on the DVD machine.

"Why is it taken so much time?" Raphael asked gloomily. "Even I could have fixed the machine now."

"Really?" Donatello looked at him with a mild smile, knowing that Raphael would never have the patience to repair things.

"Humph," Raphael grumbled irritated and pointed at his younger brother. "Just get it fixed quickly, will you?"

"Okay, here is pizza and popcorn!" Michelangelo announced thrilled as he and Leonardo came into the living room.

"Great, I'm just finished," Donatello said and put the DVD machine back to its previous position. "It should be awesome to see the DVD now"

"Okay guys, we going for a journey of our life into the world of fantasy," Mickey said with a happy smile on his face. "This movie is even more spectacular than me…"

"Baboon," Raphael commented and looked impatiently at him.

"Sure someone is angry," Michelangelo said but immediately got a sharp look from his father, telling him to leave his brother alone.

"What movie is it then Mikey?" April asked and seized for a slice of pizza.

"Still a secret," Michelangelo laughed. "But I think you're all going to enjoy it."

Then he took the DVD out of its cover to put down in the DVD machine and it began to play. The movie had only been on for two seconds, when they all heard a strange sound and the light disappeared.

"Don, what have you done to the DVD machine?" Raphael asked dryly.

"It isn't me," Donatello responded in the dark. "It seems like the power is gone."

"Should we check it out?" Leonardo asked to his father. "After all, the last time the power disappeared; it was the foot clan, who was up to something."

"Don't you think that it is the weather that caused it?" April asked.

"It is more likely, yes," Master Splinter nodded. "And I don't want my sons to go out in the storm. It can be dangerous out there."

"When what are we going to do?" Casey asked irritated.

"First, we're getting some candles Mr. Jones," Master Splinter said with a little smile.

"I'll get them, Sensei. I got some in my room," Leonardo said and left them.

As a ninja Leonardo was perfectly able to see in the dark, and it wasn't a problem for him finding the candles on one of his shelves next to his bed. Leonardo always kept candles in his room, as the soft light always made him relax. When he arrived to the living room, the situation seemed less tensed. Michelangelo helped him light the candles.

"Now, this is nice," Michelangelo said and grabbed a piece of pizza. "Very nice indeed."

"Yes, pizza is good," Master Splinter nodded. "And you have loved it ever since the first time you tasted it."

"That is some time ago," Raphael remarked.

"Indeed, it was the first time that you all went against my prohibition and went to the surface," Master Splinter told them.

"What?" Donatello said and looked at his father in wonder. "I can't remember that we went to the surface and first time tasted pizza. We have always gotten the food down here."

"I can't remember it either," Michelangelo said.

"You were too young to remember," Master Splinter said and shook is head. "You were all about six years old or so."

"Really?"

"Yes, let me see," Master Splinter looked thoughtfully down at his pizza, and then he smiled. "This is how it happened."

A/N: Well, what do you think so far about the story? Please give me some reviews. I really appreciate it, thanks! The story about Michelangelo first experience with pizza is going to be the chapter and I'll try as fast as I can to get the next chapter ready.


	2. A taste of paradise

A/N: Well, thank you so much for the great reviews that I have received. It was nice to read and I want to thank all my readers who are following the story. It is great . Okay, the next chapter is the story about Michelangelo's first experience with his favorite food PIZZA! Enjoy all…

I don't ever forget the day, when my life changed so dramatic. Even to this day, I can still remember the past clearly as if it had happened yesterday. I don't think that my family will ever forget the day, when the ooze changed me and my sons. It wasn't only my body, which was changing; my mind and my view of the world were also growing each day. The little turtles, which followed every step I made, had become my responsibility. They had become my children.

But it was hard to take care of four young boys. It was always a fight to make sure that they had enough to eat. I knew that the upside world wouldn't understand us, and therefore we had to live underground. Unfortunately it was difficult to find any kind of food in the sewers and I had no opportunity to get a job. When I became a father, I had to find a way to provide my family with food. And I could only find one solution to the problem. I usually went to the surface, for collecting tin cans and glass bottles for recycling. Then I would give it to a dear friend of mine, a tramp, who delivered the cans and bottles for me. It normally gave me enough money so that my family was able to survive.

Six years after I used the same method. It was a cold chilling November, when I was heading for the surface once again. I didn't go upside that often, since it was a dangerous task to walk on the ground. Though I moved my way in the shadows, there was always the risk of getting seen. Therefore, I mostly turned my way to the dark alleys where I could remain hidden for human eyes. I felt lucky that day when I removed the manhole cover. I noticed that this alley didn't have any streetlight, which made me relax a little. I didn't have any problems walking around in the darkness as it made it more unlikely for the humans to discover my presence.

I quickly studied the alley, looking for all the tin cans and glass bottles in the small corners.

A little smile flickered across my face, as I was very excited to find several bottles and cans in the alley. Within a second, I grabbed the first tin can and glanced at my brown plastic bag, as I quickly placed the can gently into it. Then I continued with my hunt once more.

Every time I was lucky to make a found, I gently tossed the cans into my bag, thereby minimizing the noise as much as possible. I knew that I had to be careful. The less noise I made, the less chance there was of people watching down at me from their windows. Occasionally I found a glass bottle. Glass always paid back more than tin cans did. I was getting more anxious as I collected the recyclables. I was thinking of another problem and it frightened my mind. It would take me several hours to finish with the collection and it meant that my young boys had to be home alone for a couple of hours. Inside in my heart it was a nervous feeling that I didn't felt comfortable with at all.

"Where has Master Splinter gone?" Michelangelo's voice sounded impatient, and he looked annoyed at his eldest brother. "Leo, where is he?"

Leonardo was standing in front of him on a pile of raised bamboos, while Michelangelo was sitting in the left corner of the dojo with some of his comics around him. The young turtle had spent most of his afternoon in the dojo together with his brothers and Master Splinter, learning some new ways techniques of balancing the body. It had been a boring lesson, and Michelangelo had been thrilled when Master Splinter had announced that the lesson was finish for the day. Yet, he now wondered where Master Splinter had gone, since he hadn't heard from his father in over an hour and it was nearly dinner time.

"You know where he is," Leonardo responded a bit irritated as he tried to balance on the small bamboos.

Leonardo was trying to concentrate on his exercise, but it was difficult when his brother kept asking the same question over and over again. It distracted him and Leonardo needed to keep his focus on every move. Leonardo felt nervous as is heart was beating faster with every step he walked on the path of bamboos. Somehow it seemed to him that he was high above the ground, even though he knew in his mind that the bamboos weren't taller than him. Leonardo looked nervously at the bamboos in front of him and suddenly it seemed impossible for him to walk any further.

"Where has Master Splinter gone?" Michelangelo repeated his question without noticing that his brother has frozen on the spot.

"He is out for food," Donatello informed as he walked into the dojo together with Raphael. "But you already know that Mikey. He told us all that he was going out to get some dinner for us."

Michelangelo nodded slightly, as he knew for a fact why his father wasn't there. The orange-masked turtle gazed sadly at his new comic book. Even though Michelangelo couldn't read, he loved to watch the pictures of the different super heroes. They were his ideals, as Master Splinter had told him about their great adventures to save the world. Inside the six-year old Michelangelo had a deep wish to become a hero, so he was able to help others in need. However he didn't felt amused by the thought of looking at his comics. His hunger was so great that he was unable to ignore his stomach anymore.

"But I'm hungry," Michelangelo complained.

"We all are Mike," Raphael commented dryly and turned his head toward his older brother. "What the hell is Leo doing? We were finished with the practice over an hour ago."

"Yeah, but he wanted to train a little more as usual," Michelangelo commented, still gazing at his new comic. Then he turned to look at his clever brother with the biggest smile on his little turtle face "Look Donny, isn't Spiderman just the coolest guy that you have ever seen?"

Donatello turned his head to look at the new comic with all the flashing colors. Donatello had never been a comic freak as his younger brother. He was more into science books where he could study the mysteries of the world, especially when it came to inventions. Donatello remembered with a happy smile how thrilled he had been nearly two days before, where his father had brought him a little mechanical robot, which he had found at the surface. Donatello had to admit in his heart that he found the robot's technical details more fascinating than the comic's fantasy world as he felt amazed by the modern technique on the earth. However, he could understand his brother's fascination by Spiderman who was able to save the world from evil villains. Therefore he turned his eyes at his brother, looking at him with a wry smile in acknowledgement, before giving him the comic back.

"Yeah, he is the best Mike."

"I like Batman more," Raphael commented, but didn't remove his eyes from his oldest brother, who still was standing frozen at the bamboos.

"Why Raph?" Michelangelo asked in wonder. "Batman is indeed cool, but he doesn't have any super powers."

"That is exactly why I like him more," Raphael pointed out and smirked. "And I like that he fight the guys in the dark where he can't be seen."

Michelangelo nodded thoughtfully by his brother's words. "Like a ninja."

"Yo Leo!" Raphael burst out loud, as he was getting worried about his brother's silent figure. "Are you awake?"

"What is wrong with him?" Donatello asked with his voice full of concern.

"We will find out," Raphael said and placed his hand on his brother's arm. "Leo, hello… Wake up!"

Leonardo shook his head a little in frustration as he could hear Raphael's voice sound somewhere in the back of his head. The dangerous bamboos, which had been the reason for his fear, suddenly seemed to fade away from his eyes and Leonardo shrieked as he lost the control of his feet, and therefore felt to the ground.

"Leo!" Donatello lamented and ran to his brother to aid him. "Are you okay?"

Leonardo looked confused at his brothers and then shook his head again. It felt impossible to share the truth with them that he had been scared of walking on the bamboos. Raphael noticed the silent reply in Leonardo's eyes and shook resignedly his head. It was typically for his older brother that he wouldn't tell his brothers what had gone wrong. And even though it irritated Raphael a great deal that his brother didn't wanted to tell the truth, he could understand him as he many times had felt the same way.

"It was nothing," Leonardo replied with a neutral voice and looked at his brothers with no emotions in his eyes. "I'm fine."

"Don't believe that," Raphael commented dryly and pointed irritated at his brother. "And you should tell us what the matter was instead pretending that it never has happened."

"Say the master of hiding emotions," Leonardo answered tartly.

"Really Leo… Are you okay?" Donatello asked with concern and reached his hand out to help him to get on his feet.

"Really Donny, I'm fine," Leonardo replied calmly and gave his younger brother a reassuring smile to state that he was telling the truth.

Donatello looked suspiciously at him, but seemed to be convinced by his smile. Raphael on the other hand was still full of doubt. He had sensed that Leonardo was hiding something from them, and that never didn't any good, especially not to Leonardo himself. He was about to tell Leonardo that, when Donatello's voice suddenly burst out.

"Hey, where is Michelangelo?"

Both his brothers had turned their gaze towards the corner, where Michelangelo had been though most of the incident, but they only saw the comic books laying on the dojo floor in a half circle around an empty spot. Donatello sighed a little and turned his head towards his brothers.

"He probably went to the kitchen to see if he could find something to eat," he stated, but his voice sounded a bit uncertain as he spoke.

"Mikey know as well as us that we don't have any food left in the kitchen," Raphael remarked dryly.

"Well, let's try and find him, shall we?" Leonardo asked and passed his brothers on the way towards the living room without waiting for a response.

"Michelangelo, where are you?" No answer. Leonardo sighed deeply and quickly studied the living room, without finding any sign of his youngest brother. It wouldn't have surprised him though, if he had found Michelangelo in there right in front of the TV. It wasn't unusual for him to ignore his loud stomach complains by focusing his mind to a movie or a TV show. Leonardo winkled his forehead, as he couldn't help but feeling a bit worried about the whole situation.

"Michelangelo, where are you?" Leonardo asked even louder, still without receiving a response from him.

"I'll bet that he is in the kitchen," Raphael commented, while he tried to ignore his heart which was beating faster because of the concern for his brother's disappearance. Raphael's remark startled his older brother, but Leonardo didn't wanted to reveal any signs of emotions to his tempered brother, so he closed his eyes for a few seconds to calm down before looking at his brother with an expressionless look in his eyes.

"I hope that you're right, Raph. Because I have a strange feeling that something is wrong."

Donatello shook his head a little and looked nervously at Leonardo. He also had the same feeling that something was wrong. Normally, their brother wasn't the quiet type and he would have answered their question if he had been home. The lair wasn't that big. Donatello had tried before that he could hear in his own bedroom Michelangelo walking in the kitchen with their father in the early mornings, and his bedroom was in the opposite end of the lair! Raphael's eyes though flared with anger at Leonardo. How dared he to suggest that their brother wasn't in the lair? Because Leonardo had a strange feeling about the situation, he actually suggested that Michelangelo had left the lair. Even though they all knew that going outside of the lair was strongly forbidden.

"Uh, help call the police. Leo has a strange feeling!" Raphael mugged him deliberately. "For crying out loud Leo! It is Mikey who we are talking about. He is just hungry and has turned to the kitchen to find some food. You know that Michelangelo can't hear anything when he is obsessed by the thought of food."

Leonardo nodded slightly as he knew that Raphael had a point there. Michelangelo lost his concentration if his stomach was begging for a meal. And Michelangelo had asked Leonardo a quite few times in the dojo, when Master Splinter was going to be home. Suddenly Leonardo felt ashamed by his actions in the dojo. He had kept more attention to his training than his brother.

"He isn't in there," Donatello said in a sad tone, as he looked into the kitchen. "But wait; there is a message on the refrigerator."

Leonardo and Raphael waited until Donatello came back with a small note in his head. "Michelangelo has drawn something to us."

As the small turtles weren't much older than six years old, they had merely started their learning in the world of books and writing skills. Therefore, it was no wonder that Michelangelo left them a message with a couple of pictures, where he explained himself. It was a note, containing two small drawings. The first one was a picture of a little turtle holding on his stomach, who was thinking on bread and bacon. Above this drawing Michelangelo had written two words to tell his brothers what had happened "Michelangelo hungry". And the other one was a picture of their dad. Leonardo swallowed hardly as he read the fateful words "Find Splinter".

"No… No, he couldn't," Donatello stammered as he realized what the note meant.

"Hehe," Raphael smirked and gave a little shake of his head. "Who would have thought that Michelangelo would have the courage to leave the lair?"

"This isn't good at all," Leonardo's eyes stayed thoughtfully at Michelangelo's note. "He has left the lair. Master Splinter is going to be furious when he gets home."

"It is only because he is hungry Leo," Donatello defended their brother as he could understand Michelangelo's choice. "We are all hungry."

"Yeah, but he is thinking too much with his stomach instead of his head," Raphael remarked and sighed. "But we have to find him before master Splinter comes back. I don't want Mikey to get in trouble."

"Neither do I," Leonardo nodded. "But I don't think that we should go against master Splinter's orders."

"Come on Leo!" Donatello looked at his oldest brother with a pleading gaze. "Michelangelo could get in deep trouble for this. And it is not master Splinter who I'm worried about."

Leonardo took a deep breath as he considered their possibilities. He knew that Donatello had a point. If Michelangelo decided to went topside, it could go terrible wrong. Neither of them knew how the world looked like above them. Master Splinter had told his children that the outside world was a great place of danger, and Leonardo was worried for his brother. Leonardo didn't like that he had to disobey his father. Leonardo wanted to honor his father's trust in him, but Leonardo knew that he would never forgive himself if something bad happened to Michelangelo.

"Let's go," Leonardo commanded and followed by his brothers, he left the lair to search for his brother in the dark sewers.

Michelangelo wasn't scared to walk around in the sewers. He had trained to see in darkness, and therefore his sight was clear as he moved further away from his home. There were so many paths for him to choose, so many passages to enter, and Michelangelo could easily have gotten lost on his way if he hadn't known where he was going. The little turtle had one thing on his mind and that was to find his father. He needed to find Splinter or else his stomach wouldn't stop begging for food. The pain was unbearable and Michelangelo bit his mouth together tight and tried to ignore it. It felt like a hand hold around his stomach while squeezed it tight. Michelangelo heaved a deep sight and took a turn to the left. His heart was beating faster as he walked on paths where he hadn't been before.

He had never been so far away from the lair, as leaving the lair was a strong prohibition that the turtles never had dared to break. Michelangelo felt a little voice inside him telling him that it was wrong of him, but he merely shook the voice away. It was too late to turn back now and his wish to find his father grew even stronger. Luckily he had something to guide him through the sewers; his father's scent. Even though the sewers was thick with the smell of garbage, Michelangelo was able to recognize his father's scent and able to track it through the different passages of the sewers. He walked on exactly the same path as he father had done earlier.

Michelangelo stopped at some point as he got confused about what direction, Splinter had gone. It just didn't seem to go anywhere. Michelangelo looked around where he was standing. There were a lot of pipes on the walls and a dark green water stream flowed right beside him. He looked up and gasped by the sight of new passage above him; a ladder on the wall leading to a manhole. Splinter might have gone up to the world above. Michelangelo sat down and wondered what to do.

He was confused, as he wanted to find his father, but he knew that his master would get really mad at him if he found his boy in the human world. Yet, Michelangelo always had gotten a great desire to see and feel the world upside the sewers. Gazing at his comics and watching the TV cartoons had made his eyes wonder how the world was like.

"But Master Splinter would kill me, if I walked out there," Michelangelo mumbled to himself and sniffed. "It would be wrong of me. Maybe I just should wait for him to get back."

Then Michelangelo smelled something that he hadn't smelled before. A sweet scent, which made his stomach rumble with expectations. He didn't recognized the scent, but it reminded him of a day where Master Splinter had made pasta bolognaise for them. The sauce reminded him of that scent and yet it was different. Michelangelo felt a big lump in his throat, as he made his decision. This wasn't good.

Michelangelo closed his eyes as he climbed up the first steps. He wasn't in control of himself. His starving stomach commanded his feet to follow the scent, and Michelangelo could no longer ignore his deep hunger. Michelangelo stopped at the top of the ladder. His small hands grabbed the heavy manhole cover, raising it a little, so he was able to see the surface. He had to make sure that it was safe to come out. A small wind hit his face like a lightning, filling his lungs with joy. The air seemed a lot lighter than the thick air down in the sewers. A little smile flickered across Michelangelo's face as he studied the new area before him.

It was an exciting feeling that he hadn't felt before. His heart was beating like a drum in his little body and his mind was going crazy about the different things he saw. He was in an alley, which reminded him of movies, he had seen, about big cities. The sweet scent came from a white little box on the ground, and the smell was even stronger once he was above the ground. Michelangelo was about to remove the manhole cover when he heard human voices from a door to the left.

"What the hell are you doing here kid? This isn't a place for you. Shouldn't you be with your mommy?" a rough voice sounded.

Michelangelo shrieked and lost his grip on the cover. There were humans near him. Michelangelo closed his eyes and tried to calm down. The humans couldn't hurt him, if he stayed undiscovered. And if they didn't notice him, then it would be safe to look at them. Michelangelo giggled and raised the cover again. He had to see the humans otherwise he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Michelangelo's eyes grew bigger by the sight in front of him. He could see three men coming out from the door with a boy in their hands. On the other hand, a boy wasn't the right word, as he looked a bit older than a child, but younger than the human man. He looked like the same age as Robin from batman, Michelangelo thought and smiled. But his smile quickly disappeared as he noticed the fear in the boy's brown eyes. The boy's body was shaking with fear and his lips shivered, when the men threw him hard on the ground.

"I… I was just..," the boy stuttered.

"You should have gone through the door, kid" one of the men hissed angrily and took a firm grip at the boy's jacket, lifting him up in the air. "Haven't your mother taught you never to interfere with strangers?"

Michelangelo swallowed. These men were villains like in the comics. Especially one of the men seemed even uglier and more evil than the rest. He was a big man with muscled arms and a scary face with a cigar in his mouth. The long black hair surrounded the ugly face, but Michelangelo noticed that he had a long scar on his right cheek. The brown eyes flared with anger, and Michelangelo began to feel worried by the situation. He didn't like this at all and for a second he considered to walk back to safety. Yet he was unable to move his feet.

"I'm sorry… I'm really sorry," the boy apologized and gasped. "I'm never telling anyone about this. I swear!"

"No, you're right, you don't." the man commented and laughed evilly. "You're not going to deliver one pizza again!"

"Leave the boy alone," Michelangelo said out loud, regretting it the same seconds that the word came out.

"Huh, what was that?" the man wondered and walked towards the manhole cover.

Michelangelo cursed and didn't know what to do. He was only six years old and had never learned to fight yet. Master Splinter had told them that it would take some years, before they would learn to fight. Michelangelo gasped when the manhole cover was lifted and he flew up in the air, until he could see directly into the man's eyes.

"What the hell is this little freak?" the man asked and raised his hand towards Michelangelo's face.

Michelangelo reacted instantly, biting the hand as hard as he could. The man screamed of pain and threw Michelangelo to the side. Michelangelo moaned at the pain as his shell hit the wall. The man gazed down at this hand, where blood was flowing from the wound.

"Damn that little!" the man cursed and walked toward Michelangelo. "You're dead now."

Michelangelo saw the man coming closer with his hands lifted, ready to beat him to death. The little turtle couldn't see a way to escape and closed his eyes tightly. In some point he regretted that he had said something because he hadn't been able to help the human boy at all. The boy would be hurt or killed right after the man was finished with him. Yet, Michelangelo knew in his heart that he had done the right thing. The heroes tried always to safe others and he had wanted to do the same thing. Then suddenly before the hitting blow came, Michelangelo heard terrifying screams and he opened his eyes. The man had disappeared along with his two companions. Michelangelo swallowed hardly as he rose to his feet, wondering what had happened. Then he looked at the boy who was still lying crying on the ground.

"A monster… A monster," the boy repeated over and over again.

"Hey… Are you okay?" Michelangelo asked and moved closer towards the boy.

"Leave me alone!" the boy screamed and quickly got on his feet.

"But…," Michelangelo wanted to explain that he just wanted to help him.

"Leave me alone… you're a freaking monster too!" the boy glared at him with fear and ran from the alley as fast as he could.

Michelangelo looked at the green skin on his hand and felt a big lump in his throat. The boy's words had really hurt him. Was he really a monster? Had Master Splinter been right all along that the humans wouldn't understand them? Michelangelo felt sorrow in his heart and sniffed. How could the boy be afraid of him when he only had tried to help him? Michelangelo walked a few steps and stopped at the small white box. The scent was still tempting to his hungry stomach, but he couldn't touch it as he knew that this food didn't belong to him. It belonged to the boy who he had scared away. Small tears ran down Michelangelo's cheeks as he kept staring at the white box. He felt so confused.

"It is yours Michelangelo, you have deserved it," a caring voice sounded behind him.

"Master Splinter?" Michelangelo asked and turned around to look at his father.

In the glowing street light came the figure of a giant rat in a dark red robe. Master Splinter smiled comforting at his son and got down on his knees, silently removing the tears from his son's face.

"I'm really sorry Master Splinter… I didn't mean to… But I was so hungry…," Michelangelo began to apologize for his behavior, but his father placed his finger on his mouth to make him stop.

"We will talk about that later my son… Tell me why you are sad?"

"I scared him Master," Michelangelo sniffed. "He was afraid of me and I hadn't done anything bad."

"I know," Master Splinter nodded. "On the contrary you are a very brave youngling with kindness in your heart. However, you will have to learn that there are some people what can't be saved. It isn't always our fight even though we want to help"

"Yes Master," Michelangelo nodded in acknowledgement. "But it felt like the right thing to do."

"It wasn't wrong of you my son," Master Splinter said and squeezed his shoulders lightly. "But it was too dangerous for you and you know that."

"Yeah, I would have been killed if…" Michelangelo gasped and gazed at his father who smiled at him. "You saved me."

"Yes, but you're not always that lucky my son."

"I know… Thanks master," Michelangelo. "But what happened to the men?"

"Don't worry about that. The police will take care of them. Now we will go home. Take the pizza with you. You have deserved it."

"The what?" Michelangelo asked and looked wondering at his father.

"The pizza is in the white box," Master Splinter told him.

"So the great scent I smelled was pizza?"

"Try tasting it," Master Splinter encouraged.

Michelangelo opened the white box and gasped by the delicious sight. He had never seen a more beautiful sight in his life. Michelangelo wouldn't be surprised if a taste of this pizza would be a taste of paradise. He seized one slice of pizza and began to eat. How could anything be that good? Michelangelo sighed happily and was about to eat more, when he heard a sound nearby. He turned his face to the right and saw his brothers appearing from the manhole. Master Splinter turned his eyes towards his other sons, who were looking scared of the fact that their father was there.

"Too late," Raphael mumbled irritated and Leonardo and Donatello bowed their head in shame.

"It seems like Michelangelo isn't the only turtle who should be punished for his actions," Master Splinter commented dryly, while Michelangelo looked begging at his brothers asking for their forgiveness with pizza sauce around his mouth.

April laughed at the story as she clearly could have imagined the expression on the turtles' faces when they were discovered. In the candle light a smile flickered across Master Splinter's face.

"Michelangelo eat the whole pizza together with his brothers, so much that it made their stomach hurt so badly that I considered it to be punishment enough for them," he giggled. "After that incident on the surface, the turtles didn't talk for years of going to the surface, as Michelangelo had told about what he had experienced. However, Michelangelo kept begging for more pizza and it have been his favorite food ever since."

"It is the best food ever on this planet," Michelangelo said and smiled. "But I don't remember my first visit to the surface at all. The first thing I can remember was Raphael's fear for bugs."

"I'm not afraid of them!" Raphael stated and crossed his arms. "I just don't like bugs and that is Donny and Michelangelo's fault."

"Hey!" Donatello and Michelangelo responded insulted but they couldn't help smiling.

"Oh, yeah, I remember it also," Leonardo nodded and gazed wryly at Raphael. "That was kind of funny.

"What happened?" Casey asked and looked at Donatello.

"Well, it all began when we were about eight year old or so," Donatello began to tell with a big smile on his face.

A/N: Well, what do you think so far about the chapter? Please feel welcome to give me some reviews on what you think. I really appreciate it, thanks!


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